[Elecraft] K3 and transverters

[Geoffrey Downs]

It's possible that I was among the first, if not the first, to report the 
K144XV self-oscillation problem in March 2010 not long after it started 
shipping. It took six months to solve, including 3 replacements units, a 
replacement KXV3A and a lot of emails, tests and effort on both sides of the 
Atlantic. David G4DMP whose K144XV showed the same problem eventually 
isolated it. As he has said in an earlier posting, the solution, discovered 
in September 2010, was simple in the end. It is implemented in K144XVs 
shipped since then and referred to in an Errata Sheet for the K144XV 
Installation Manual dated September 30th 2010.  It applies to pages 15 and 
16 of the Manual and involves the omission of one of the screws holding the 
top cover. I believe the metal standoff beneath the hole may also be omitted 
now but is still shown in the photograph on page 14 of the Manual, the date 
of which precedes the solution. In the unlikely event of anyone out there 
still having the problem, the above details may help.

As will be apparent the support from Elecraft was unstinting and the K144XV 
may now be bought with full confidence. I would agree, however, that the 
K144RFLK is essential, for CW and SSB operation operation at least. I have 
never had problems with strong local signals but here the 2m band is so 
rarely awash with them that it's not surprising.

73 to all

Geoff
G3UCK


-----Original Message----- 
From: Ron D'Eau Claire
Sent: Sunday, September 16, 2012 12:02 AM

It's my understanding that the oscillation problem was solved long ago by
(IIRC) a change in the K144XV pc board ground scheme.